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Helpful here are examples of what other games this is similar to but how this title is unique. This article was written using first-hand research and experience, without the use of AI. For more information on how Game Dev Beginner articles are written, see my writing policy.
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This template is geared towards the information your team needs to do its day-to-day work, since that’s what you’ll spend most of your time on as a video game designer. Then the master game design document is just a summary that points to individual feature documents and explains briefly how they interact. So in turn, each feature should be a separate document that links back to the master doc. Based on my experience, the most successful game designers know the power of the one-pager – a quickly parsed document which gets everyone on board for a united vision of a great game. In the modern era, most of your work in game design won’t be in the game design doc. Usually, the framework is set up early and then left in place with only lead game designers making changes to them.
Key Sections within a Game Design Document
Start your next game project with my GDD template, including sections on Accessibility, Marketing, Production, and more. Start by writing the central concept for your project in the middle of the board. Our team at Whimsy Games understands the importance of due project planning.
Genre
Realizing that overly lengthy and rigid GDDs are difficult to maintain and are hardly ever read, most studios have moved away from traditional design documentation. But making a game takes more than a good idea and the skill to turn it into code, a fact that indie game designers know all too well. Jumping straight into coding without cultivating a game design document is a sure way to end up being hampered by placeholder art, malfunctioning code, and clashing mechanics.
When I did projects, it helped align me to think more “technical” when I was creative and vice versa. Please mind that you don’t need to describe every little action like jumping or crouching unless they play a significant part in your game (like jumping in Mario). This research should definitely include your target audience’s age, sex, and occupation. In addition to that, you might research metrics such as Daily Active Users of the target genre. The more information you have, the better your chances of financial success. Genre classification in a GDD involves defining the game genre and flavor by categorizing the game into specific genres such as action, adventure, simulation, shooter, etc.
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Your genre of choice will also affect your team’s marketing efforts, once the game is done and ready to be marketed to an audience. It requires lots of different tasks, like designing characters, building game levels, programming the game’s mechanics, and composing music. The more complex your game is, the higher the chances that your project and timelines can “go off the rails” if you haven’t planned well enough. If you’re an aspiring game designer, you’ve probably heard about the importance of a Game Design Document (GDD).
How to Write a Game Design Document - Game Developer
How to Write a Game Design Document.
Posted: Fri, 10 Sep 2021 11:30:56 GMT [source]
Modern GDDs
The next few sections should summarize what genre your game is in, what the core mechanics are (and how they interrelate), and what core gameplay is like. Whether you're a solo developer, or you're working with a team, some central document containing information about the game you're building can be really helpful. If that document is a tangled mess of details, however, it can do more harm than good. Brainstorming is a classic creative technique for generating new ideas quickly. You can use it to explore visual styles, dream up new characters, worlds, or even the levels you're planning.
You’ll write a few drafts early on in the project, and then continue to flesh out additional details well into development. Think of it as a “living document” that you and the team will adjust as you go. As your game evolves and details begin to take shape, you may want to create dedicated documents for different topics. Better yet, turn your game design doc into an internal wiki and organize your work in a more structured way. Generally speaking, there are two steps to making a one-page game design document. Even if it’s just you, a GDD can act as a place where the main concepts, ideas, features and the specific mechanics of your project are written out in detail.
A few paragraphs quickly outline the key narrative and gameplay foundations of the game. Here is where you’ll want to link out to more compartmentalized parts of your documentation instead of adding more to the 10,000ft view master doc. I cap it off with a quick outline of the drivers for the players to play through the experience. Next, we need to establish the important priorities that are driving our design vision.
If so, we will set up a series of meetings with you and work on your GDD for a special cost starting at $1,000. This usually takes about two to four weeks of work per design document -- so quite a bargain, if we do say so ourselves. Based on the design, we'll have a clear idea of how many people are needed to build the game you want. A 'team' may be as small as one engineer, with the art and audio purchased from ones of the many great online asset stores. We also need a clear idea of the LEVEL DESIGN TOOLS that will need to be built.
Even if you’re working on your game on your own, the one-page approach can be an extremely useful design tool. At this point, you might be thinking that the one-page approach simply involves using images and diagrams to communicate ideas because they usually work better than written text. As a result, the one-page method can be significantly more effective at working through ideas than a written text document or wiki. While Notion is highly customisable, allowing you to create document templates that suit whatever it is you’re doing. Trying to get started with such a detailed overview of your project is, in most cases, going to be extremely difficult. Which, when you’re working with other people, and you want them to build part of your game in the way you imagined it would be, can be important.
A design doc for a project manager, for example, can skip most technical details and focus more on target milestones for the feature and how it supports overall project goals. I suggest you using Google Docs or a wiki (such as Notion) for your documentation makes it much easier to direct team members to more detailed feature docs relevant to their role and make collaboration more efficient. Most game design degree programs often treat these like a master’s thesis — the culmination of what it means to be a game designer. Keep in mind, the video game industry is massive and diverse, with wildly different paths to success. AAA teams, indie developers, and solo developers have completely different needs from their documentation.
Start by specifying the game engine your team will use to build the game, because that will impact many other ares of development, from programming to art asset creation. Even if it’s far from being final, it will give readers an idea of the overall art direction you have in mind. Then outline the game’s objectives — both short-term goals within each level, and overarching goals that span the whole game. Be sure to discuss any progression systems, like character leveling up or unlocking new abilities. Start by describing the game’s unique selling points, and point out what might set it apart from other games in the market.
That helps them make sure the work they’re doing aligns well with the overall concept. For more complex games, or larger projects with many team members, a GDD is crucial. It will help keep the team aligned, help to ensure clear communication, and serve as a reference point as the team builds your game. When everyone is clear on the design up-front, you can avoid needless debate, confusion, miscommunication, and wasted time.
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